Could it really have been ten years since the O Brother phenomenon swept through the music world?
Indeed. It was in 2001 that the Coen brothers released their film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, along with its celebrated soundtrack produced by T. Bone Burnett. The movie didn’t make a big noise at the box office initially, but the soundtrack was a runaway hit, leading to the equally successful Down From The Mountain live tour.
The brilliantly-promoted effort brought celebrity status to artists like Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Del McCoury and Ralph Stanley, and forever cemented Burnett in the firmament of acoustic roots music producers.
With the ten year anniversary, Universal has prepared a Deluxe Edition 2 CD set, set for an August 23 release. It includes the songs from the original soundtrack, along with 7 previously unreleased tracks that had been recorded for possible use in the movie, and material from the many artists whose music was heard during the film.
Audio samples from both discs can be heard online.
To celebrate the special CD set, Airplay Direct is offering an exclusive one-hour radio program to their many member stations. David Wild hosts the program, produced by Jon Grimson, which examines the impact the film had on the music scene worldwide, and the many artists whose visibility was raised in its wake.
A 10th anniversary interview with T. Bone Burnett is also included, as is music from the unreleased audio on the CD.
Programmers can sample and download the show, and the previously unreleased tracks, at AirplayDirect.com.
